Dredging apparatus



Aug. 31 1937. H. H. HOPKINS ET AL DREDGING APPARATUS Filed April 17,1935 INVENTOR. Hurst/er 'h. HOPk/NS Gus E Be 0min ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 31, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 2,091,279 DBEDGING APPARATUSHerbert H. Hopkins, San Francisco, and Gus E. Becker, Fresno, Calif..

Application April 17, 1936,, Serial No. 74,996

7 Claims.

This invention relates to dredging apparatus, and has for its objectsthe provision of asimple, efficient, cheap, and small machine fordigging and lifting material from the bottom of a water channel and forconveying the lifted material to a point for treatment of such materialfor recovery of mineral values therefrom, all in one continuousoperation, and which apparatus is adapted to accommodate itself tovarious conditions of the stream bed. Other objects and advantages willappear in the description and drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 represents a side view of our apparatus, thestream bed being shown in section and the apparatus shown at thecommencement of a digging stroke.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the apparatus.

0 Briefly described, our apparatus comprises a float, or barge,pivotally mounting an elongated, rigid channel-arm at its inner end onthe float, and the outer end being provided with a channel extensionmember rigid with the main arm, which extension has a cutting edge atits outer end. The channel arm and extension are about 20'inches wide,betweensides, although this can be varied considerably as desired forincreasing the digging capacity. I

Means is provided for raising the outer end of the channel arm toa pointabove the pivoted end so that material cut from the bed of the streamanddeposited in the channel will slide by gravity down the channel and outthe opposite 3 end at a point beyond the pivotal point into a containerwhere it can be treated for separation I of mineral values. I

Means is also provided to raising and lowering the arm bodily, includingits pivots whereby the arm can be dropped, when vertical, to drive thecutting edge into the bed ofthe stream, and also said meansis usedto-vary the ..depth of the cut.

Other means is provided for maneuvering the barge or float as desiredand for anchoring it in any desired position.

In detail, our apparatus comprises a float formed of a relatively heavyplatform I, mounted on hollow, sealed, air drums 2 secured to the underside of the platform by any suitable means,

such as by straps 3, the drums giving great buoyancy and being cheap,since regulation empty oil drums may be used.

. Mounted onthe platform is a frame comprising a pair of spaced,vertically extending posts small electric motor 21 receiving currentfrom 4, each of which posts is provided with a vertical slot 5 withopposite sides of each slot formed to provide opposedly facing channelsin which a bearing block 6 is slidably mounted for vertical movement.Said blocks are journaled for hori- 5 zontal stub shafts I thatprojectoutwardly from opposite sides of one end of an elongated, rigid,channel arm 8, the other end of which channel arm is fitted with achannel extension 9 securedthereto by bolts Ill. The outer end of theextension is closed with an inclined end plate to which is secured acutting blade 12 of hard steel.

A yoke 13 is pivotally secured at the ends of its arms to the sides ofthe channel extension 9 and a cable It is connected to the eye l5 of theyoke and extends upwardly over 'a pulley 15 mounted on a frame it, whichframe is positioned at the forward end of the barge. From pulley I5 thecable I4 extends rearwardly over a second pulley I! mounted on bracketssecured to the 20 upper ends of posts 4, and from pulley II the cableIt. extends to a hoist drum l8 operated through conventional gearingfrom an engine l9, 4 said-gearing being controlled. by a conventionalcontrol lever 20 for winding and unwinding the cable on the drum.

The barge is formed with an elongated slot or opening 2| at its forwardend for passing the channel arm to elevate its outer end upon windingthe cable It, the arm being vertical and projecting at its outer endbelow the barge as shown in Fig. 1 when at the commencement of thedigging operation. When the arm is elevated to inclined position, thematerial cut from the stream bottom by blade l2 will pass by gravitydown the arm and out the inner open end into a receptacle 22 from whichit may pass into a sluice box fitted with suitable rifiles forentrapping the mineral values, and the tailings pass out of thesluice-box over the rear of the barge.

' At the upper end of frame it we provide a water tank 25 filled withwater from a pipe line 26 connected to a centrifugal pump 21 operated bya a storage battery 29 or any other suitable motor may be used, thewater for the tank being taken from the stream through a pipe 30.

One side of the water tank is fitted with a gate 3| adapted to be liftedby a cable 32 extending over a pulley 33 mounted on. the side of thetank, which cable is accessible to an operator adjacent the engine. Whenthe gate is raised, water will flow from the tank to a short'chute 34and into the outer end of the channel arm; thus assisting in flushingany sticky material in the channel arm down the arm and into thereceptacle 22, thus not only cleaning the arm but supplying water forfacilitating the separation of the values in the sluice box. The gateautomatically closes 5 the flow of water upon releasing the pull on thecable.

The sliding blocks 6 are connected by a horiz'ontal bar 35, (Fig. 3)that extends over the inner open end of the channel arm 8, when 10 thelatter is vertical, the ends of the bar con-- necting to the blocks byarms 36. A cable 31 is connected to an eye 38 that is secured to bar 35,said cable extending over a pulley 39, supported by suitable brackets tothe upper ends of posts 4, and from pulley 38 said cable extends to ahoist drum 40 connected for operation by engine l9 through suitablegearing controlled by lever-4|. Thus upon operating the hoist 40 theinner end of channel arm 8, including the pivots 1 and bearing blocks,may be raised or lowered as desired, the usual releasable locking meansbeing provided for holding the drum in any desired position.

At the four corners of the barge are capstans 42, from each of whichextends acable 43 in an upstream direction and shoreward. The two cables43 on one side of the barge are anchored at their outer ends to theshore adjacent thereto and the two cables 43 on the oppositeside of thebarge are similarly anchored to the shore adjacent said opposite side.Each capstan is independently operated by a small electric motor 44including suitable reduction gearing, said motors being supplied withpower from a storage battery 45, the current to the motors beingcontrolled by four separate switches 46. Thus the barge can be swung toany position relative to the stream and is anchored in such position, or

it can be advanced upstream, or moved from side to side of the stream.The forward end of the barge is, however, preferably kept turnedgenerally upstream since the flow of. the stream materially assists inwashing the material oi its bed into the channel arm during elevation ofthe outer end of the latter.

There may, of course, be any desired number of channel arms, such as arow extending across the forward end of the barge. Also, the storagebatteries are charged from a generator connected to engine I9, suchgenerator not being shown,

since the practice is common.

In operation, the barge is anchored with its forward end generallyfacing upstream. A short channel extension and cutting blade isinitially secured to the outer end of channel arm 8, and the bearingblocks 6 areelevated in slots 5, the arm being allowed to hangvertically from the pivots, the rear closed end of slot 2| in the bargepreventing the outer end of the arm from being carried in a downstreamdirection an undesirable distance to one side of vertical. The cable isreleased, and the arm drops to drive the cutting blade into the streambed. The outer end of the arm is then drawn up by cable l4 and thematerial in the channel arm slides down the arm into receptacle 22. Thisoperation is repeated, and if. a relatively deep cut is to be made, along extension, such as 9, in the drawing, is substituted on arm 8 forthe shorter one, until a hole X 7 has been dug in the bed of the stream.The barge is now progressively moved forward, and a channel is dug inthe stream bed of the depth of the hole X, or according to the height ofthe blocks 6 mounting the inner end of the channel 75 arm.

The flexibility of our apparatus permits the working of the entire bedof the stream, and maneuvering to avoid boulders, and unprofitablematerial. Furthermore, the arm 8 when elevated above the float, leavesnothing depending from the float, and it can be readily moved overshallow parts of a stream, and can be readily dismantled and transportedto parts of the country where large dredges can be moved only with greatdifliculty.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. Dredging apparatus for dredging the bed of a stream comprising abarge-like float adapted to float on the water of the stream, agenerally vertically extending, rigid arm formed with sides and a bottomproviding a channel extending the length of. the arm, pivot means on thefloat mounting said arm adjacent its upper inner end for moving theopposite outer end of the arm from below the float to an elevatedposition above the level of said pivot means, said outer end of the armhaving a cutting edge adapted to cut material from the bed of the streamupon moving the outer end to above the level of the pivot means, andsaid arm being positioned to receive the cut material in the channel ofthe arm upon so moving the arm whereby said material will slide bygravity toward the pivoted end of the arm when the outer end is elevatedabove the level of the pivot means, means for elevating the outer end ofthe arm and means for raising and lowering the arm when the same is ingenerally vertically extending position, said barge-like float beingformed with an opening positioned relative to the arm to permit movingthe arm about its pivoted end from its vertically extending position tothe position with its outer end elevated above the pivot means and withthe inner end directly over said float.

2. In a construction as defined in claim 1, means for ejecting waterinto the channel of said arm adjacent the outer end thereof when theouter end of the arm is elevated to above the pivot means comprising atank of water provided with a valved discharge opening adapted todischarge water in the tank into said channel.

3.-In a construction as defined in claim 1, means for moving saidbarge-like float forwardly, laterally and angularly relative to thedirection of the bed of the stream as desired and for anchoring saidfloat in the position to which the float is adapted to be moved, saidmeans including cables connecting between the opposite shores of thestream and points forward and aft of the means pivotally mounting saidam.

4. Dredging apparatus for dredging the bed of a stream comprising anelongated barge-like float adapted to float on the water of the stream,an elongated slot formed in the forward end of said float extendinglongitudinally of the float, an elongated, rigid arm formed with achannel extending the length of the arm, means pivotally mounting oneend of said arm adjacent the closed end of said slot for swinging theouter opposite said arm in an arcuate path through said slot, a cuttingblade extending across the outer end of the channel for-cutting materialfrom the bed of the stream upon swinging said arm, means for swingingthe arm for elevating the outer end to a point above the barge and abovethe level of the pivoted end of the arm.

5. Dredging apparatus for dredging the bed of a stream comprising abarge-like float, a rigid arm having an inner and an outer end andformed with sides and a bottom providing a channel extending the lengthof the arm, the inner end of said channel being open and a cutting bladeon the arm extending across the outer end of the channel, pivot meanspivotally mounting said inner end of the arm on the float arranged andadapted to permit swinging said arm from a position in which the outerend is lower than the inner end to a position in which the outer end iselevated above the inner end and flushing means mounted on the floatseparate from the arm and positioned at an elevated position relativetothe float at a point over the outer end of the arm when the outer end ofthe arm moved to said elevated position ar- 15 ranged and adapted todischarge water into the channel for flushing material therein towardsaid inner end, and means for swinging the arm on said pivot means.

6. Dredging apparatus for dredging the bed 20 of a stream comprisingabarge-like float, a rigid arm having an inner and an outer end andformed with sides and a bottom providing a channel extending the lengthof the arm, the inner end of said channel being open and a cut- 25 tingblade on the arm extending across the outer end of the channel, pivotmeans pivotally mounting said inner end of the arm on the float arrangedrelative'to the float and arm to permit swinging said arm from asubstantially verti- 30 cally extending position with the outer andlowermost to a position with the outer end elevated relative to saidinner end whereby material in the channel will slide over said bottomand out of the open end of the channel, means for so swinging said am,said cutting blade having a cutting edge thereon arranged and adapted tocut in a generally vertically extending direction into the bed of thestream, upon the arm being dropped when the arm is in substantiallyvertically extending position, and means releasably supporting said armarranged and adapted for releasing the arm for dropping the same whenthe same is substantially vertical.

7. Dredging apparatus for dredging the bed of a stream comprising abarge-like float, an elongated arm of channel shape in cross-sectionhaving an outer end provided with a cutting blade extendingsubstantially across the width of the channel and the opposite end ofthe channel being open, pivot means arranged and adapted forpivotallysupporting the arm on the barge in a generally vertically extendingposition with the end thereof having the cutting blade dis- 3 -1'ig9sedbeneath the float, means for swinging the am on said pivot means to aposition with the last mentioned end of the arm elevated above theopposite open end of the channel and with the open end of the channelover the float whereby material within the channel will slidelongitudinally thereof toward the float and out of the open end of thechannel.

HERBERT H. HOPmNS. GUS E. BECKER.

